BOXING · 1 day ago

Boxing: Best Bets for Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford

Gabriel Santiago

Host · Writer

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As he does every Mexican Independence Day, undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo" Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KO) will return to the ring for an epic clash. Awaiting will be the undefeated Terence “Bud" Crawford (41-0, 31 KO), who might be Canelo’s most well-rounded challenger of the past ten years.

“I fully expect Alvarez vs Crawford to be the most wagered on boxing match of the year," expressed BetMGM Sr. Trader Alex Rella. “While Alvarez has taken a slightly higher handle in the three-way moneyline, Crawford has received more than double the action than Canelo in regard to our two-way moneyline (with no draw option). I anticipate the action will shift more in Alvarez’ direction as we get closer to fight night.”

On Saturday, September 13, Riyadh Season will take over Sin City. Here’s all you need to know for Canelo-Crawford fight time, how to watch, undercard info, odds, and best bets.

Note: All odds and lines are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change after the publication of this article.

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How to Watch Saul Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford

Location: Allegiant Stadium
Where to Watch: Netflix
Main Card Time: 9 p.m. ET
Alvarez-Crawford Ring Walks Time: 11:00 p.m. ET (approx.)
Alvarez-Crawford Moneyline: Alvarez -182 | Crawford +142
Will Alvarez-Crawford Go The Distance? Yes -380 | No +270
Round Total: 11.5 (-410/+280)
Method of Victory:
Alvarez by points/decision +120
Alvarez by KO/TKO +370
Draw +1100
Crawford by points/decision +195
Crawford by KO/TKO +900

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Notably, this is a super fight that boxing fans have been fantasizing about for some time now. Canelo will head to Las Vegas to take on the southpaw Crawford while putting his IBF, WBC, and WBO world super middleweight titles on the line.

Alvarez, hailing from Guadalajara, Jalisco, is undoubtedly one of the best pound-for-pound fighters of the past 15 years. He is an icon of boxing and enters this match at 35 years old, standing at 5-foot-7.5. Canelo is listed with a reach of 70.5 inches, but his skill does not stem from his length; he thrives on his strength, explosiveness, and disciplined defense.

Crawford, the fighting pride of Omaha, Nebraska, operates with essentially no weaknesses in the squared circle. Bud, age 37, is considered to be the smaller boxer in this bout, but in reality, the tale of the tape has Crawford taller (5-foot-9) and with a longer reach (75 inches). His skill set is incredibly circumspect, and his ability to fight out of both stances is a real weapon.

As one looming fact of this historic showdown, neither Alvarez nor Crawford has been knocked down throughout their professional careers. That makes it extremely tough to predict a knockout this weekend at Allegiant Stadium, but for what it’s worth, only one of Crawford’s past ten opponents has survived all 12 rounds.

In Canelo’s most recent action, he won a slower-paced fight via UD against William Scull last May. The two combined to throw only 445 punches (per CompuBox), which set the record for the fewest total punches attempted in a pro bout. Before that, Alvarez beat up on Jose Berlanga, out-landing the Puerto Rican, 201 punches to 119 (and 133 to 65 in power punches).

Bud last fought during the Summer of 2024. On that evening, Crawford defeated Israil Madrimov for the WBO (interim) world super welterweight strap. However, the match was closer than most anticipated. It wound up being a defensive masterclass; Crawford narrowly out-landed the Uzbek, 95-84, but Madrimov connected with more power punches (65 to Crawford’s 55) at a more accurate clip (35.3% to Crawford’s 26.2%).

When it comes to Canelo and Bud, I am truly between a rock and a hard place when trying to select a victor. Alvarez is the outright favorite, displaying -182 odds on the fight moneyline. Still, that is a little chalky when you factor in how dominant Crawford has been throughout the entirety of his career.

I believe it is more likely that we see a fierce defensive battle as opposed to a slugfest. Canelo utilizes some of the best head feints boxing has ever seen, while Crawford is prolific when it comes to ring generalship, spacing, and keeping opponents off-balance. With all that in mind, I love FanDuel Sportsbook’s under 0.5 total knockdowns prop at -160 odds. That pricing indicates a 61.5% implied probability for no knockdowns to occur, and considering that has been the case over both of these fighters’ entire tenures, I like my chances here.

Alvarez and Crawford have fought through 765 total rounds between their two professional careers. As noted, neither man has ever hit the canvas.